All these episodes have been digitally restored and remastered. Each episode has had the major clicks, pops, and distortions removed while preserving the vintage sound.
- The Missing Palmist
This episode begins with Rhoda and Blackstone practicing their second sight routine. This leads to a story about dishonest carnival workers (as if there is another kind).
Then, a handkerchief forms a makeshift pocket around a quarter that then disappears. Don and Rhoda can not figure it out, but Blackstone will let you know the secret! Originally broadcast 03/20/1949
- The Ladder of Wealth
A legendary Tory treasure, murder, and magic tricks mix when a friend asks Blackstone for help. Will Blackstone be able to solve yet another mystery with magic? And is the Ladder of Wealth actually able to double the money it touches?
A nickel, quarter and penny then form a perplexing riddle for Rhoda to solve. Blackstone then teaches you the solution to this bar bet style trick. Originally broadcast 03/27/1949
- The Locked Book
Blackstone gets mixed up in political intrigue abroad! There is a plot to murder an Asian ruler to set up a puppet republic controlled by the Japanese. Luckily, Blackstone's locked book holds the key to the future.
Can you defy gravity and keep a bottle from spilling when turned upside down? Blackstone teaches you how! Originally broadcast 04/03/1949
- The Deathless Shot
"Gunpowder is no match for magic!" proclaims Blackstone in this episode. He'll need his magic to protect himself when his attempts to find a stolen necklace for his friend lead to a gem dealers' rare magic collection.
Then Blackstone teaches us to turn over a bill in full view of the audience with a few simple folds. Originally broadcast 04/10/1949
- The Riddle of the Other Eightball
The engagement party of Blackstone's old friend Fairgood is ruined when one of the guests steals the diamonds that have been purchased for the new bride. However, no thief ever escapes when Blackstone is on their trail!
After the adventure, a goblet and a handkerchief are used in a novel little coin vanish. Originally broadcast 04/17/1949
- The Cellini Statuette
An art premiere turns into a robbery and a mystery. Can Blackstone discover who has stolen the famed Cellini Statuette?
Introducing it as a trick once performed by Columbus, Blackstone teaches how to balance an egg on end. Originally broadcast 04/24/1949
Or buy all 56 episodes:
Blackstone Detective.
Listen along to the thrilling adventures of Blackstone, the Magic Detective. Each week he will solve a variety of mysteries with magic. Along with his main assistant, the beautiful Rhoda Brent (voiced by Fran Carlon) and their radio announcers Alan Kent and Don Hancock (or here and there John, played by Ted Osborne, who may be Rhoda's boyfriend) we get to hear thrilling inside stories about the mementos he has collected when solving fantastic crimes or the magic apparatus Blackstone has used to solve them. Then, Blackstone lets us in on the magic we can do at home and "reveal the guarded secrets of the world's greatest living magician!"
The truth is, of course, that they are all simple little tricks, sometimes little more than barbets. In fact, Blackstone is not even the real Blackstone but veteran radio actor Ed Jerome. Many episodes were written by Walter Gibson, though, with Nancy Webb penning the rest. These are great stories for magicians and anyone who appreciates the exciting, if sometimes a bit sensational, storytelling found in old time radio.
At one time, there were as many as 78 episodes. However, about two dozen have been lost over the years. This represents the most complete collection known to exist, minus the so-called Shark Island Story, which is sometimes represented as an episode from an unknown date. It is actually The Voodoo Treasure.
If you like these kinds of stories you might also be interested in The Blackstone Magic Comics which feature also Blackstone using his magic knowledge to defeat the thieves and other criminals.